Gem prices

[Kotugo]

The prices for new additions keeps going up at an alarming rate, going by how many gems you can purchase at a time:

Vet general = £25
3 extra slots (3000x3=9000gems) = £50
Friary (2100gems) = £25 each

Who is deciding these prices? They seem really badly thought out and just plain greedy, profit from the free to play model is meant to come from micro transactions, but some of these additions are starting to cost more than full retail games. Please sack scrooge mcduck as your financial expert and hire someone who cares about the game rather than their next sportscar purchase!

[Tierarzt]

Who's the one being greedy here?
BlueByte are not a charity!

[hades8840]

of course there still being greedy at them prices there more likely to sell more if ppl feel value for money i bet they sell more gems on special offer days then they do any other time ..the cost of the build slots at 2990 is ott .. if they was 1000-1500 i bet more ppl would buy them then actually will.. i would buy them if there pricing was more inline with other items then they are

Who's the one being greedy here?
BlueByte are not a charity!

[Tierarzt]

You don't have to buy them.
If you want premium features, prepare to pay a premium price.

[Kotugo]

Who said anything about charity? I certainly didn't mention that these things should be free.

If these things were 1/4 the price they would probably sell 10 times more, which is more money for BlueByte.

[Ragamuffin]

You don't have to buy them.
If you want premium features, prepare to pay a premium price.

I don't think people object to paying for premium features on the proviso the prices charged are fair, which in TSO's case, I don't think they are. It's £24.99 GBP for 5600 gems [this is with a 2850 gem bonus] which do not last long in normal game play - I think a fairer price would be £4.99 GBP for this number of Gems.

True, players do not have to buy the Gems. However, the possession of Gems does make certain aspects of game play easier/quicker/more convenient. Ubisoft know this [they designed it to be so] and exploit the situation by charging extortionate amounts of money for game enhancements. There's a premium price and daylight robbery, TSO's pricing structure is the latter.

[Lilibet]

The idea is that this is a free to play game. Those who buy gems shouldn't get a massive advantage over others so prices have to be high to stop them. I have the veteran from the easter/Spring event. I won't be buying an additional build slot. Simple. It's all 'choice'. If you want to buy to get an advantage, be prepared to pay.

[Umber]

Personally the extra slots price seems really overblown considering, the veteran, sure he's expensive but hes a big premium boost, the slots, i dunno it's helpful yes but a huge advantage not really, just lets you log off a little sooner/ afk from the comp longer, and i don't think they are quite worth 3/5's of the general EACH, i do hope blue byte takes notice to this post, because it is a worrying trend sure some things deserve a high price, some things maybe not as much

[Ragamuffin]

The idea is that this is a free to play game.

I would agree with this 100%, but unfortunately the game developers want to/need to earn some revenue from their games, hence all the online games I've played have had a game enhancement item, be this Gold/Gems/Tokens/etc, which you buy. Nothings ever 'free', only the very basic game.

Travians is the worst because if you want to furnish your house you need Gems, which you have to buy. The majority of furnishing items cost Social Points + Gems, as do the tools, weapons and armour. You also lose your armour/weapons at the 'end of your life' [100+ game play days], so if you have used gems on this equipment to enhance it, tough!

It can become very expensive playing these 'free games'

[ErniB]

I have never been tempted to buy stuff to play online games like this, the reason is they are usually expensive and if you invest money in something its hard to walk away when you have had enough of playing.

I agree with Kotagu the prices do seem very expensive, but if there is a market for these kinds of things then it is unlikely they are going to reduce the price.